Claire was right about the history of the artificial tree! https://www.hagley.org/ru/librarynews/it-just-doesnt-addis-trimming-legend-toilet-brush-christmas-tree read more

London Walks - Claire, the guide with a Christmas tree - Tours Near Me

Excellent, A+++++ Beatles Magical Mystery Tour London tour with great pre-tour communication and follow-up. Everything was well organized and punctual. Richard, our guide, was extraordinary and super knowledgeable, engaging, and truly passionate about sharing Beatles history and stories. A must for any Beatles fan wanting to learn about their rich history in London. read more

London Walks - Cool, 'Yoko Ono inspired' street art on the property where John Lennon and Yoko first met! - Tours Near Me

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I was not on a London Walks tour, but one of their guides behaved extremely rudely toward my family and me, and repeatedly waved his arms in my girlfriend's face--nearly hitting her on multiple occasions. We were part of a different tour group taking the Uber Boat when the London Walks guide boarded with his group. He acted as though the boat were a private charter, completely disregarding our group and the other passengers. While our guide was using a whisper device to speak quietly, the London Walks guide continuously shouted over them. Despite our group's repeated and polite requests for him to lower his voice, he responded with snarky, dismissive remarks--and only became louder. The experience was not only disruptive to our group but also deeply disrespectful to everyone on board. read more

Fantastic tour of Westminster by gas light with the best guide ever! We'll never forget it!

My husband and I chose the Jack the Ripper evening walking tour. Molly was our guide. Generally I love city walking tours but this one was dreadfully dull. We saw several other walking tour groups and considered jumping ship to try another group. The information was bland, and told without any theatrical flair to keep our interest. Would not recommend this tour. read more

Took the Changing of the Guard tour on a beautiful spring day (10:15, March 31st). Thought the tour informative and moved at a good pace. However, when the subject of Canada being part of the Commonwealth came up, the tour guide joked about Canada being annexed by the United States. As a Canadian, I found this highly offensive. The US president has said he plans to destroy our country and take it over. This is not funny. If the tour guide finds the situation amusing, perhaps he should better inform himself. read more

Great Oliver was a great and kind tour guide hilarious too. He gave lots of information would recommend!

Just walking about London is educational. But couple that with the expert guides from London Walks you get an advanced degree. They provide so much detail that your location comes alive and your imagination takes flight. We did the Thames Pub Walk with David, our guide, and the experience was outstanding. Thorough, patient, erudite, and welcoming, David's knowledge and love for London came through in a big way. Wear good walking shoes for the sometimes uneven paths along with plenty of questions. This is learning history of the most engaging sort. Sign up and enjoy! read more

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Over the past few decades I've enjoyed several walking tours with this company. Just finished the Beatles London tour. Starts at the Tottenham tube station. Tour length is 2.5 hours. If you're an old knowledgeable Beatles fan the tour patter won't reveal any secret esoteric information. But it's delightful to hear the stories told by an enthusiastic Brit who is a rabid Beatles fan while gazing at the historic locations. The first 75% of the tour location is around the Saville row area pertinent to Beatles history. Then you need to have an Oyster card or underground ticket for the tube ride to Abbey Road studios where the tour concludes. Next door is the retail shop that sells Beatles / Abbey Road souvenirs. Of course this tour company has dozens of other tour themes for all interests. Well worth the £10 ticket. read more

Why London walks? There are other walking tours in London, why choose this company? Well, it's all about the guides. While many walking companies have planned routes and set piece presentations, London Walks guides pride themselves on their deep research and ability to hum a few bars on any question asked along the way. Taking a Jack the Ripper tour and spot some elegant frescoes on the inside of a house, they can tell you how they got there. As a gifted inquisitive idiot I've tested this over the years on numerous walks and have never been able to stump them, whether with a question about a specific execution on tower hill, to the history of artists in soho, or a question about Beau Brummell, there is always an answer. Want to know what was really in Samuel Pepy's diary, and why today he'd be restricted under Meghan's Law, and they can tell you. Their knowledge is encyclopedic (Wikipedic for all you millennials). More than this the routes are well planned and the guides are both educational and entertaining, a combination often aspired to but difficult to pull off. It's a bit like wandering around London with Simon Schama only not being talked down to. There's also usually a pub. read more

this is what I sent to walks said they would get back in 28 days We have tried to contact you for weeks with NO response! My daughter and I had payed for a tour of the Tower of London early on the 15th of June. When we arrived the tour guide saw my daughter was in a wheelchair and told us that " the tour was not possible for her as there are steps and it would just slow the tour down" that is a LIE!!!! NO REFUND!!!!! undeterred we went to talk to the guards about the situation. They were astonished by your unprofessional service. We ended up doing the tour on our own! All we had to do to avoid the steps was go to the right and around to meet at the same spot! We could see most everything and followed your group around. This is clearly a case of discrimination read more

Had a lovely day at Cambridge. Simon was knowledgeable, though sometimes a bit wordy, and did a fine job. There is a lot to see so it was quite busy. Also, the weather, which of course is not controlled by London Walks or Simon, was not entirely cooperative. Light rain in the afternoon. Going to Cambridge and back by train works very well. Plan on a busy day. Take a brolly. read more

London Walks is an affordable way to discover the hidden gems in London. Our friend had recently visited London and thoroughly enjoyed the Old Hampstead Pub Walk so we decided to take the same walking tour. The cost of the walk is only 9 British Pounds and there is no need to make a reservation. Just be sure to bring cash to pay (and tip!) your guide. The walks are hosted by actors and comedians so expect a lively performance. Our tour guide, Richard, gave a wonderfully amusing tour of Hampstead's and London's history. We made three pub stops on our 2.5 hour walk. Drinks are obviously not included with the price of the walk so be sure to bring cash for beer and cider. We stopped by The Holly Bush, Duke of Hamilton, and The Flask for drinks. All three pubs were fantastic! If you have no interest in visiting pubs, London Walks offers a variety of other tours: http://www.walks.com TIP: The tours go on: rain or shine so be sure to bring a jacket and umbrella. read more

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We had a fabulous tour today of the Westminster Abbey. We booked it through London Walks and glad we did. Our tour guide Brian was fantastic. Very funny and knowledgeable about the Abbey. We even enjoyed the off color jokes The tour was a bit over two hours and covered a ton of information. We would highly recommend this tour. Thank you Brian! read more

London Walks - Tours Near Me

I have been on a greater number of LONDON WALKS than I can even remember over the years -- information I include here because the virtual walk I just took with actor Nick Day of Stratford-upon-Avon ranks among the top several I have taken. Nick wove his extensive knowledge of Shakespeare, of theater history, of architecture, and of the town of Stratford-upon-Avon into a fascinating narrative that was wonderfully people-driven. All of this he delivered with the aid of his remarkable stage voice, with well-chosen images, and in a warm and entertaining style. Five stars for this walk! read more

London Walks - Tours Near Me

Fiona was our tour guide for the London Square Mile walk. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and a pleasure to spend several hours with. We would happily recommend taking the tour! read more

I almost never leave reviews, but this walking tour was so awful, I want to warn others away. The walk does not take you anywhere particularly interesting, you see a couple of statues, and a couple of alleys and roads that the guide did her best to try to connect to the story that she was telling. There was very little factual history involved, the stories were mostly fabricated and sounded like they were coming straight from a tabloid - including implying that Prince Harry was not his father's son. The worst part, however, was the casual misogyny of the guide, she basically called Diana and Camila wh***s, in addition to generally speaking about women and sexual promiscuity in an outdated and offensive way. She repeatedly showed pictures of royalty on her iPad, emphasizing how attractive (or not) they were. I was planning on going on multiple walking tours in London, but I have been scared off of them all together. Taking this tour as the quality of walking tours from this company, I can only encourage others to stay away. read more

If you live in London, you might want to take advantage of the extraordinary tours and brilliant tour guides who are gifted in their knowledge of particular areas of London and many of them must also be actors , since they need to project their voices, be constantly on "stage" and be very entertaining. We went on two very different " walks". Shortly after we arrived in London, we decided to learn about as much of the city as possible so we signed up for Brunel's London. This tour involved taking a boat ride( ( which was included in the price of the walk), a rigorous hike as well as various train rides as we traveled all over London examining the first bridges built by the Brunel Family as well as the earliest tunnels, also built by the Brunel's. We also went on another tour of the Old Jewish Quarter which was also fascinating and very informative. While we were visiting London, quite a few of the people on these walks, lived here. I would highly recommend that you check out their website where they list all of their morning, afternoon and evening walks. I would have loved to take the Abbey Road Walk, so we will have to make sure to sign up the next time we visit. read more

This review is specifically for the "Jack the Ripper" tour, but London Walks offers several different options. For me, no trip to London would be complete without this tour. I'm a huge fiend for true crime stories but didn't know a lot about Jack the Ripper. That needed to be remedied. We had originally decided to go on another "Ripper" tour, but as luck would have it, we never found that particular tour guide (contradictory information and a nonworking website/ phone number don't really help your customers to find you). After waiting around in the cold, a nice gentleman named Donald noticed us and mentioned that he was conducting a Jack the Ripper tour that would commence shortly and we were welcome to join, but he didn't pressure us at all. Since we had made the journey anyway, we took him up on his offer. What a fortuitous decision! Donald is a qualified Blue Badge and City of London Guide and just so happens to be THE leading authority on Jack the Ripper, as well as the former curator of The City of London Police Crime Museum AND the author of the preeminent book on Jack the Ripper. In other words, this guy really knows his shit. The tour meets at the Tower Hill Tube Station and makes its way around various streets and sites relevant to the case; it lasts about two hours. It was foggy, dark and lightly raining on this particular evening, which of course was entirely appropriate and only added to the atmosphere and spookiness. We were also a relatively small group of just ten people (apparently that's an unusually small group size) so it made it easier to traverse the cobblestone streets as well as ask a ton of questions (hard to do if there's too many people chatting at once). The tour covered a lot of territory and was fraught with loads of history, interesting tidbits/trivia, and humor. Even though it was frightfully cold and windy, I loved every minute. I was chilled to the bone, both literally and figuratively. The tour concludes at the Ten Bells pub (right across from the Spitalfields Market--another place worth checking out), which was known to be frequented by at least two of the victims of Jack the Ripper--and perhaps even the man himself--back in 1888. A pint was enjoyed there after. Donald obviously is passionate about the case and conducts the tour with the utmost enthusiasm. I imagine he's not doing it for the money or his love of walking around in the cold for two hours every night. He also offers his book for sale (again, zero pressure to buy one) if you want to learn more about the case. Needless to say, I bought a copy of the book and he autographed it for me. The book was a great read for the long flight back to the States. Tour was £9 (not sure about other London Walks tours) and the book was £10. Money well spent. There's many other "Ripper" tours to be found in London (and probably for less money), but as far as I'm concerned, this is the only one that matters. read more

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London Walks is the best $$ you will spend in London. We took three different walking tours over our week in London: Tower of London w/ Judith, Greenwich w/ Cynthia, & SoHo w/ Peter. Even though it was raining hard & windy for the Tower of London we were able to see everything including the Crown Jewels. We went back to several locations once the tour ended. The boat ride up the Thames to Greenwich was great for sightseeing and after the tour which included standing on the Prime Meridian & lots of architecture & science, we were able to explore the small old section of Greenwich which was so cool. Finally we took the Soho tour w/ Peter who was the best! He had an encyclopedic knowledge of everything SoHo & beyond. Each of these tours were worth much more than the 10 pounds we paid. read more

London Walks - Prime Meridian - Tours Near Me

A friend and I decided to do the 7:30pm Jack the Ripper tour on a Wednesday night. We watched the youtube video on their website to get an idea of what we were getting ourselves into, and we were really creeped out, and excited for a scary night! Unfortunately, the tour fell way below our expectations. There were around 50 people on our tour, which made it quite difficult to travel and see the tour guide talking. It was way too many people, and I think limiting the tour to 30 would make it better. Our guide, Steve, seemed like he was trying to get through the tour as fast as possible, demonstrated by his rapid-nonstop monologues and stories. It was difficult to follow his stories at times, because he was talking so fast and used the same inflection. We were also put off by his bad jokes. I'm not sure how to describe them--they weren't corny or sarcastic, both of which I enjoy. I will say, most of our group was amused and would laugh at his jokes, but I'm not sure if it was because they felt obligated or genuinely appreciated them. One thing that I expected from a tour guide was to actually lead the tour. Unfortunately, Steve did not do this. When we had to move to the next location, he simply told us directions and expected a large mob of 50 people to move themselves. When the poor people at the front of the pack were confused, unsure where to turn next, Steve was found hidden in the middle of the group, chatting with some of the other people. The tour was also more of a historical tour than a scary tour, and I did not leave feeling creeped out at all, which is what the video suggested we would be getting. In fact, it was quite difficult to stay focused on what Steve was telling us, and I kept zoning out. I left feeling like I could've just read a wikipedia page on jack the ripper and gotten the same thing out of it, minus the frustration. If you are looking for a scary, engaging Jack the Ripper walking tour, do not choose London Walks. read more

One of the coolest tourist services in London. Interesting, educational, fun, engrossing. All the tours are good (and economical entertainment). It amazes me that no matter what the weather, I think that only once have I seen less than 20 customers show up for these. We do a couple of these every time we are in London no matter what. Check the website for availability. As I said I have never been disappointed by any walk but here are some of my favorites: -Sunday morning Hampstead: Beautiful villagey area in London that you might not have seen, interesting history, excellent guide, good pub choices for a roast lunch afterwards. -Mayfair: Another exceptional guide and interesting area. -British Museum: You may say, why pay for a guide when the museum is free. But the Museum always overwhelmed me. In a couple hours we got a great highlight tour and it was totally interesting and informative. -Westminster: Saw streets and angles I'd never seen before. Even if you have messed around the Abbey etc. before this tour will show you more. Real London experience. Really a great activity! read more

Wonderful, educational and well priced. Offers education walking tours where you meet at tube stops. Led by a knowledgeable tour guide I saw the Jack the Ripper tour, the Westminster neighbourhood tour and countless others. As a tourist it is a must! Also some great exercise! read more

These walks are not for tourists only. We have taken a couple with friends who were born and raised in London and they enjoyed them as much as we did. We have taken three of the four different ghost tours they offer and all of them were sensational. Two of them - Ghosts of the Old City and Haunted London - were guided by Shaughan, a professional actor who used his baritone voice and black cape to great effect. He also led an afternoon tour of Little Venice we took and his detailed descriptions gave us a deep appreciation of this beautiful neighbourhood. Other tours we recommend are the London of Oscar Wilde (with a guide in authentic Wilde attire) and Old Camden Town. All tours are £7 each or, with a discount walkabout card available from the guides, only £5 each, and they probably are the biggest travel bargain in London. read more

London Walks - Tours Near Me

I thoroughly enjoyed the Royal Tour on Thursday which is guided by a local who also has another job so you know they love what they do and it shows. For 10 pounds you will get a 2+ hour guided tour of all the notable areas at a quick enough pace. Our tour guide kept the kids entertained and educated us all. We walked from St. James Park past Green Park, Hyde Park, down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. We also got to see the changing of the guards and the royal band parade. Everything was timed perfectly and a lot of fun. I highly recommend this for anyone new to London or for a local who wants to brush up on their history. There is a tour for everyone! read more

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I am really interested in Jack the Ripper and have been on these walks more times than I could possibly count. They really are great fun though and you always learn something new, even if it is just a really weird Victorian drinking song or the guide's own personal take on events. The route varies from guide to guide but generally goes from Tower Hill to Petticoat Row and then on to Whitechapel with a stop at the Ten Bells. I really recommend these walks to anyone who is interested in London, Victorian history or Jack the Ripper. Apparently Johnny Depp went on one while preparing for 'From Hell' - I have never seen him though, more's the pity. The best time to go is Autumn, when the murders themselves were committed, as the area is very dark and gloomy and damp at this time of year. Apparently the week of the fifth November is the best of all as the area is suitably smoky due to all the bonfires and fireworks, so you can visualise the thick Victorian 'pea soup' smog. read more

London Walks - Tours Near Me

Andrew was superb on our nighttime Jack the Ripper walking tour. He brought us right into the moment!! read more

London Walks - Tours Near Me

I did the tour Westminster at war today 18th August. I was somewhat disappointed as it's seemed tailored to a US audience rather than what the British went through. We visited the outside of building where Eisenhower planned D-Day but not the Houses of Parliament let alone the Churchill war rooms and all the rich history there. I understand that there is too much history to cover in 2 hrs but too miss those 2 locations seems weird to me. There are many wonderful stories of Churchill at 10 Downing Street and the war rooms , the secret tunnels etc - never mentioned. read more

I did the British Museum Tour on the Wednesday right after Christmas. The meeting point at the Russell Square Tube entrance was easy to find, but not very close to the museum. It was across the park near it. It was probably to avoid the crowds. Maybe it was the time of the year, but it was crowwwwwded. According to the tour guide, it wasn't even that bad. She was great in giving us great information but our group of about 30 was hard to keep together with the rest of the people visiting the museum. The info and guide were great, but one recommendation I have for the company is to give people audio receivers so we can clearly hear all the great facts that guide has to share with us. I felt more stressed keeping up and not getting separated, that at a few points during the tour I mentioned to my boyfriend that we should just bite the bullet and go off on our own. Overall, the museum itself is definitely worth a visit. Kinda wish I got more out of the tour and that we hit different parts of the museum (ie. the Egyptian tombs sections). We completely skipped major sections, and by the time the tour was over we had less than an hour to look around before guards told us to leave b/c the museum was closing. read more

SIMON (not Molly or Margaret) was simply divine in our tour of the National Gallery. He was droll and highly gifted in conveying a lot of information in an entertaining way. We got through the highlights of 750years in 2hrs and I feel like a more enriched human for it. Highly recommend a Simon read more

We attended the London Walks "Sherlock Holmes" Tour this past Friday and it was an absolute delight.....all due to Corrina Our lovely guide Corrina was not only informative but funny, musical and dramatic. She quoted episodes of Sherlock Holmes, sang us songs about The Strand, and definitely kept track of our whole group I appreciated how she waited for us to all gather around the point of interest before speaking - I have been on some tours that are so rushed that they will move along whether we're there or not Corrina also does a Haunted London Tour as well as others & I would definitely sign up for her to lead me through London again & again! read more

My boyfriend and I went on the Jack the Ripper tour last night. It was my idea for our weekly date night but we both thoroughly had a blast. Here's the scoop: meet at Tower Hill tube stop at 7:30 and look for the big group (you won't miss it; yesterday there were so many people we split into two groups). Pay the nice man for the tour. The price is only £7 for adults and £5 for students...what a steal! And then enjoy away. The tour guide was amazing: funny, witty, and totally entertaining! I highly recommend this tour for locals and tourist alike. But don't be confused by the competitors, not all Jack the Ripper tours are the same. Look for walks.com Secret local tip: frozen margaritas in a to-go cup---they only add to the excitement and mystery! read more

When a friend at university invited me to come with her on a walk of Little Venice I was a bit skeptical. First of all because its a tourist walk - how silly can that be, and 2nd because Little Venice was in my backyard and I've seen everything that it had to offer, right? Wrong. I enjoyed the walk immensely. I learned more about the neighbourhood than I ever knew existed and couldn't help but remember some of the tidbits every time I walked past. The guide was engaging and knowledgeable and you couldn't beat the price! AND since we were students, we got a student discount. I suggested my parents take one of the walks when they came to London to visit and they enjoyed their walk as well. I think that these walks are good for tourists and locals alike to learn about their own neighbourhoods. read more

My fiance and I planned on only doing the Beatles "In My Life" walk with Richard, then ended up doing 4 or so more tours with this group. Yes, they are that awesome. You know they are doing something right when London locals do these walks as well. Some of the people on our tours even seemed to be "regulars." All the guides are FANTASTIC. Richard ("In My Life" walk) is a walking Beatles encyclopedia. Fiona ("Famous Square Mile" walk) was sweet and informative. We ended up doing three tours with David..."Old Westminster," "Old Hampstead Village," and "Shakespeare's and Dickens' London." He's great...witticisms sprinkled in among so many bits of informations and snippets of stories that I wished I had brought a notebook to write everything down. Best of all, each tour is only £7 so it's a great way for a tourist to see London on a budget. You can even pay a bit extra the first tour to get a discounted walkabout card for other tours you do...if we had known we were going to do so many tours, we would have definitely done this! Even looking at the brochure again now, I see more than a few tours I'd like to go on. Absolutely something to look forward to the next time I'm in London. Cheers Richard, Fiona, David, and the rest! read more

Absolutely abysmal experience. We were greatly looking forward to the Cotswolds tour, and showed up at the designated meeting time at the designated place. There were several people around the tour guide, and we had to be told by another person that the tour had apparently "sold out" we could never get the guide, Richard, to acknowledge us or answer our questions. HE DASHED OFF AND SIMPLY IGNORED US. This was an extremely unprofessional way to treat people who had flown 5,000 miles to get to London, had been on the tube for nearly an hour, and who were greatly looking forward to the tour. There is no way to pre-register on their site, so if you are planning on one of their day trips out of London, be aware that you might have the same experience we did. read more

I attended the Hampstead pub walk with this group. It was really fun and educational... plus we got to drink a beer at each place we visted. There is no way I would have been able to go to all the places our tour guide took us, and not only that, the wealth of fascinating information he doled out was spectacular. So interesting. Plus it was cool to see tourists and locals coming out for the walk. That's how you know these people are good... even the locals came out! read more

Going on a walking tour with London Walks is a great way to get to know London, especially for first-time visitors. I've been on several of the walks, and in each case the guides were witty and engaging, and the tours were entertaining and informative. I especially recommend the "London Walk - Westminister" walk for those new to the city, as it hits many of the major spots: Westminister (obviously), Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guard, etc. Oh, and Sting's house ... who would want to miss that?! Another great tour is the "Along the Thames Pub Walk." It takes the group to several historic pubs, and along the way you learn the history of settlers along the Thames from Roman times to modern day. Fascinating, informative and occasionally quite funny. (Also good for solo travellers -- I met several nice people during the walk). Of course, individual taste and interests will go a long way in determining if you enjoy a specific walk -- I went on the Notting Hill tour, but there was too much info about the Julia Roberts movie (which I haven't seen) for my taste. The tour wasn't awful, but not particularly interesting for me personally. But, generally, I recommend this company and their tour guides to anyone who wants to learn more about the sights and history of my favorite city. read more

Another informative and fun London Walk of Westminster Abbey today with Tom. Thank you!

This is a review of the Jack the Ripper tour, which meets in front of the food cart "tram" at the exit of the Tower Hill tube station. You do need cash for the tour. It is a pound less for students. You can get a info pamphlet for an extra pound, although the pamphlet didn't really add anything to the experience. The tour was run by Steve, a very entertaining tour guide who was full of knowledge of the area. He took us through the old Roman wall (pretty cool lit up at night) and then through the back streets of the East End where the murders took place. It isn't a "pub tour" but more of an informational tour that shows you where it all happened and tells a lot of stories. It was a crowded tour, though (being Saturday night) so you will want to get close to hear everything. The tour ends up by another tube stop is a busy area with a lot of pubs. The tour goes through what mostly seems to be a gentrifying area, but you may appreciate having the safety in numbers by joining the tour. Aside from that, I think we gained a lot by doing the tour over trying to navigate by ourselves. read more

I've been going on London Walks over the years since the early 1990s. In the early 1990s, they had the Jack the Ripper Tour and a few other walks. They have grown considerably since then and now have a number of walks that can cover a variety of interests. Over the years, I've taken over a dozen of their tours. Every tour has been good - some better than others - but no tour was ever a disappointment. I recently took the James Bond Tour, the Spy and Spycatchers Tour and the Beatles Magical Myster Tour on my latest trip to the UK. The tours were informative and entertaining. The James Bond Tour concentrated on how the early experiences of Ian Fleming (primarily in London) shaped the James Bond character. If you're a fan of James Bond, it's a must. The Spy / SpyCatcher tour concentrates on the five Soviet Spies that rose to prominence in the US / UK intelligence circles. These spies gave the Soviets vital information from World War II through the end of the Cold War. It's a fascinating tour and the tour guide really made the characters come alive. The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour takes you back to Swining London with the Fab Four. Each walk is about 2 hours. Even though they are billed as walking tours, they are actually more like standing tours. On a given tour, you'll probably walk around a mile. Most of the time is spent standing while the tour guide regales you with stories about the nearby locations. Unless one has disabilities, the tour is not physically taxing. Tours are about GBP 8 (US$ 13 at today's exchange rates). The guide meets the group at a Tube station exit about 5 minutes before the start of the tour. Participants pay up and he then starts the tour - very easy. read more